Johan Benders

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Johan Benders (Jan 7, 1907, Bloemendaal - Apr 6, 1943, Amsterdam) was a Dutch teacher at the Amsterdam Lyceum, who encouraged his students to manufacture false papers for Jews in order to help them escape persecution by the occupying Nazi Germany. His wife, Gerritdina Letteboer, and he sheltered Jews in their home. In 1943, however, they were betrayed to the Gestapo by a neighbor. On April 6, he jumped from the third floor of the prison he was held in, in order to avoid giving away information under torture.

On March 27, 1997, Yad Vashem recognized Johan Benders and his wife as Righteous Among the Nations.

[edit] References

• Glossary of Names and Commonly Used Terms from the Holocaust Memorial Center. Retrieved October 21, 2005.
• The Righteous Among the Nations: The Netherlands from Yad Vashem. Retrieved October 21, 2005.